Head outlet



June 13, 1950 c. H. ,JESSEN 2,511,339

HEAD OUTLET Filed Oct. 27, 1947 IN VEN TOR. CHESTER l1. JESSEN #13 A TTORNE Y Patented June 13, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEAD OUTLET Chester H. Jessen, East Palo Alto, Calif.

Application October 27, 1947, Serial No. 782,309

1 Claim.

My invention relates to fittings for electrical wiring and more particularly to a new and improved head outlet for wiring installations.

In modern building techniques, not the least important of which is electrical wiring, consider able emphasis is laid upon speed and efiiciency. Methods and equipment that make construction faster and simpler are becoming increasingly significant to the contractor; and the oldfashioned or unnecessary are abandoned as soon as a more satisfactor substitute is discovered. One point, for example, that requires the time and attention of an electrician is that at which the leads from the electric meter of the house under construction are brought through the wall or roof and connected to the service line outside. In most cases such leads, sheathed in metal conduit, are led from the meter along joists, studs and rafters to the upper 'walls or roof and there connected to the service wires for that house.

It is an object of my invention to provide a head outlet that will afford a stable anchorage to electric service wires. It is a further object of my invention to provide a head outlet that may be installed rapidly and easily. A still further object of my invention is the provision of a head outlet that may be conveniently attached to standard conduit. Still another object of my invention is the provision of a head outlet yielding immediate access to the leads therein while affording them a maximum of protection.

My invention possesses other objects, some of which, with the foregoing, will be brought out in the following description of the invention. I do not limit myself to the showing made by the said description and drawings since I may adopt variant forms of the invention within the scope of the appended claim.

My invention comprises a head outlet in the shape of a. hollow casing having a stem long enough to extend through the roof of a building and be secured to the rafters below. The lower end of the stem is threaded in order that it may be readily connected to standard threaded conduit and fittings. The casing is provided with integral sides and a removable closure plate which may be secured thereto with machine screws; and the face opposite that plate has one or more, but preferably three, holes through which pass insulating bushings.

Each bushing is molded with a notched base flange whose size and shape are sufiicient both to retain the insulator in the casing and, by engagin a pin on the inside of the casing, prevent the bushing from rotating. This latter function is important because it serves to prevent the misalignment of an internal passage in the bushing which runs from the center of the flanged base to the lowest outside surface in order to carry the leads without permitting the entrance of moisture. Means are also provided On the bushing to connect thereto service wires from outside lines.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the head outlet, partly in vertical section, and Figure 2 is a rear elevation with a portion of the cover plate removed.

In Figure 1 the casing 2 is provided with a stem 3 of any length, but preferably twenty inches for most installations. The lower end 4 of the stem is provided with standard conduit threads 6, so that it may be conveniently attached to threaded conduit or fittings.

Through suitable openings in the casing face I pass porcelain bushings 8; and each bushing is maintained in place by a notched flange 9 at its base. The flange is shaped so as to complement the hole and easing face and so arranged that the notch l2 engages pin l3 on the inside of casing face I. In this way the bushing is prevented from rotating and causing internal passage M to move out of alignment. The passage runs from the center of the flanged base [5 of the bushing to its lowest outside surface, slanting downwardly and outwardly to prevent moisture from entering the casing.

The casing is provided with flanges I! which enable cover plate It! to be fastened thereto with the aid of machine screws IS. A gasket 2| is interposed between the plate and the casing to assure a weatherproof seal.

To install the head outlet of my invention it is only necessary to provide a hole in the roof over the end of the conduit carrying the leads from the house meter. Through this hole the stem is inserted with its lower end in axial alignment with the conduit and in close proximity thereto.

It is practice after installing conduit-sheathed wire from the house meter to the roof, to leave extending beyond the end of the conduit a suitable length of wire 22, which may conveniently be 20 inches. This wire is passed through the stem of the head outlet and into the casing. The stem is then secured to the conduit and secured with pipe strapping to the rafter that carries the conduit. To close the hole in the roof suitable flashing is applied to the stem on the out- 3 side of the house and sealed by known roofing methods.

Since removal of the cover plate I8 afiords convenient access to th inside of the casing 2, it is a simple matter to insert each bushing 3 in the hole provided in casing face 1, engaging notched flange 9 with pin 13. Service wire 23 is then tied to the bushing through passage 24 provided therein, sufiicient tension being left in the service wire to hold the bushing firmly in place. The wire 22 is then led through internal passage M in the bushing and connected to the service wire at tap 26. Drip loop 21 is left in the wire 22 below the tap in order to prevent the accumulation of moisture within the passage 14.

Once th wires have been connected to the service lines the gasket 2| and cover plate 18 are fastened to the casing with machin screws l9, to yield a stable durable installation.

I claim:

A head outlet for electric wires, comprising a casing having three integral sides and an open fourth side, a hollow stem connected to and opening into one end of said casing, an insulating bushing extending through one of the integral sides of the casing and having a passage therethrough from the inside to the outside of the easing, said insulating bushing having a flange providing a circumferentially complete bearing against the inside face of the casing to resist the pull of a service line, means on the insulating bushing for securing the service line thereto, means on the inside of the casing for engaging said flange to prevent rotation thereof, and a closure plate on the open side of the casing.

CHESTER H. JESSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 48,331 Smith Dec. 21, 1915 1,243,902 Van Ranst Oct. 23, 1917 1,579,618 Jensen Apr. 6, 1926 2,035,331 Miller Mar. 24, 1936 2,414,143 Dunning Jan. 14, 1947 FORETGN PATENTS Number Ceuntry Date 66,990 Austria May 1, 1914 

